Paralegal Studies (Effective 02/16/2025)

This course introduces students to electronic discovery (e-discovery) and the management of electronically stored information (ESI). Emphasizing the early phases of the Electronic Discovery Reference Model (EDRM), students build practical skills in discovery procedures, communication, and documentation. The course prepares students to support and manage E-Discovery projects within law firms and corporate legal environments. 

This class provides students with an opportunity to develop and practice skills relating to the latter stages of the Electronic Discovery Reference Model (EDRM) framework using actual eDiscovery software that is used in the legal profession. Students will gain hands-on eDiscovery experience and learn best practices related to eDiscovery workflow and projects.

This course presents the role of paralegals in the legal system, introduces paralegal skills, and explores career opportunities. It highlights the ethical and professional guidelines that govern the paralegal field. It also introduces the sources of law, an overview of courts, and alternative dispute resolution systems.

This course presents the role of paralegals in the civil litigation process including alternative dispute resolution. It gives students instruction on basic legal research and writing, drafting documents and pleadings, and electronic filing.

This course provides the paralegal student with an introduction to the types and functions of technology in the legal field, providing them with knowledge of and access to commonly used software.

This course introduces future paralegals to all facets of contract preparation, including ethical, practical, and professional issues. Students practice drafting contracts for equipment, real estate, and business sales, while reviewing current case law, completing critical thinking assignments involving attorney briefings and legal cases.

This course expands the skills of the paralegal student in performing legal research and writing, emphasizing case briefing and legal analysis. It provides students with experience using research tools and search engines available in the legal field.

This course provides students with an understanding of the nature, formation and regulation of business organizations. Students will not only learn fundamental applications of business law, but also will be able to put those basics into practice after reading a multitude of real-world examples and performing several skill assessment activities.

This course provides a basic understanding of personal injury, wrongful death, professional malpractice, and civil rights litigation. Students develop skills in applying law to fact patterns as well as utilizing rules of state and federal civil procedure.

This course explores how artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming modern legal work. Students will examine applications of AI in legal research, document review, contract analysis, litigation support, and compliance. Emphasis is placed on understanding ethical, regulatory, and privacy issues; evaluating AI tools; and gaining hands-on experience using software that assists with predictive analytics, natural language processing, and automation. 

This course provides an in-depth overview of family law and offers students the opportunity to develop practical skills applicable in family law practice. Topics include fundamental concepts such as jurisdiction, paternity, adoption, formal and informal marriages, divorce, annulment, marital property, and parent-child relationships, with a focus on the essential roles and responsibilities of legal support professionals within the field. 

This course involves the study of both substantive and procedural criminal law, the different stages of the criminal process from the prospect of both prosecution and defense. Topics include the classifications and elements of state and federal crimes, constitutional civil rights, procedural and evidentiary rules, criminal trial litigation preparation.

This course provides additional practice and application in legal research and writing. Students will be expected to complete legal writing assignments utilizing more advanced legal analysis skills and based on state-specific laws.

This course prepares students to support attorneys through every stage of trial preparation and courtroom practice. Students will gain experience drafting pleadings, pre-trial motions, and discovery requests, as well as assisting with deposition preparation. Emphasis is placed on the paralegal’s role in trial strategy, alternative dispute resolution, and the use of technology in the electronic courtroom. By the end of the course, students will be equipped with the practical skills needed to provide effective trial support. 

A course covering the information, knowledge and skills needed to succeed specifically in paralegal studies, including study skills, setting academic goals, managing time, and technology skills such as word processing, presentations, and spreadsheets.

This course introduces the concepts and theories of interpersonal communication. Students will explore the process and functions of communication, developing relationships, communication strategies and skills, and interpersonal language skills, including conflict management.

This course provides foundational topics related to logic and critical thinking including, informal logic, formal logic, and fallacies.

This course covers written communication skills with an emphasis on understanding the writing process, analyzing readings, and practicing writing for personal and professional applications.

This course begins with a review of real numbers and algebraic expressions before covering algebra topics including linear equations and inequalities, lines and functions, systems, exponents, polynomials, and factoring.

A course covering the foundational concepts related to human behavior. Topics include the human mind, human behavior, and important experiments and research in the field of psychology.